


Above the Clouds

by lunaseemoony



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: China, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mountains, Pregnancy Scares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:38:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While running from a gang of thugs in the middle of a festival, Rose finds herself in an alarming dilemma that only the Doctor can help her out of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Above the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by whatwecanfic on tumblr as part of my Fourteen Days of Ficlets special. 
> 
> Content Warning: pregnancy scare and sensitive subject matter.
> 
> Mount Huashan is a real place, as is the little pavilion that sits on top of its eastern peak (which is the side to best see a sunrise from).

Rose was never completely used to the ‘alien’ bit of traveling to alien planets. But it did eventually get easier. The Doctor taught her to embrace new species, species that sprouted from humans, and the wealth of cultures the universe had to offer. Sometimes wires were crossed and they forgot wearing the color blue on one planet was grossly offensive or the Doctor would forget that the sonic screwdriver’s gentle hum was actually deafening to some people. Sometimes their mere presence in the wrong place threatened their lives. Nevertheless it was all good fun, even when they were locked in a prison cell or fighting for their lives.

At least until one day.

It was far from a relaxing day, if such a day ever existed with the Doctor. They’d been on the run from a gang that was hellbent on pulling the biggest heist of the 34th century. It was a large scale crime in the works, but strangely ordinary compared to what they normally faced. Still, the Doctor could never be kept from helping where he could. He’d been delightfully cocky about his solution, simply sonicing their handheld devices that allowed the gang to tap into the local government’s mainframe. It wasn’t a permanent fix but it was enough to keep the gang at bay until Rose and the Doctor could get to the authorities to warn them. But naturally this angered them just a little.

So they ran, angry thugs at their heels and laughter paving their way. They tore right through a festival. The Doctor wasn’t even short of breath so he was nattering on about the whole event, explaining to Rose that the deity the people were honoring was a bit like Bacchus. So the celebrations were a raucous affair. It was certainly Rose’s idea of fun at the time, giggling as they weaved through a parade and donned outrageously large hats from a stand as they ran.

It happened when they took a narrow side street in an attempt to throw off their pursuers. Compared to the throngs of people wafting about the main streets like schools of fish the side streets were practically empty. But they were like a web, the Doctor said. They could keep taking turns until they completely lost the thugs. Once lost, all Rose and the Doctor would need to do is bide their time and make their way to the police station. A bit roundabout but effective.

Rose pointed down a narrow alleyway when their pursuers caught up, and made a quick turn. The Doctor was right behind her. Rose could barely see in the alley without any streetlights. He was within arm’s reach behind her though, because she felt his cool breaths on her neck. But he wasn’t quite close enough. He wasn’t quite quick enough.

“Rose watch out!” he shouted. 

“Wha-?” 

Rose bumped right into a tall bloke with purple blotchy skin. He was standing in front of someone, and the pair of them were in a thick lilac-colored cloud of what Rose had thought was dust. She quickly learned that it was not. After apologizing to the bloke she inhaled a few heaving breaths’ worth of the purple stuff, lungs already aching from running. It practically singed the inside of nose and set her whole throat on fire. The Doctor caught her as she doubled over coughing up her lungs. The bloke she bumped into didn’t have time to apologize, as the thugs had caught up to them by then, and knocked them both out.

She immediately turned to coughing when she awoke in a dank, cold cupboard. The Doctor had wrapped her in his leather coat and leaned her up against his side, which helped with the cold. But Rose felt like she’d swallowed fire itself. Every breath ached and burned.

“Easy, Rose. Easy, easy,” the Doctor soothed, his gentle northern timbre grounding her.

“Why’s it _hurt_?” Rose rasped and coughed. “What… was that?”

Where they were was inconsequential to Rose at that moment. They’d sort it out later. They always did. 

He swept his hand over his head for answers before one came. “Pollen,” he said with a nod.

“In the…” cough “…middle of a…” cough “…city street?”

She was beginning to sound like a baby seal. Her eyes stung bitterly.

“Well. Not ordinary pollen.”

“Quit beating around the bush…” cough “…and tell me what it was, Doctor.”

“Sperm pollen.” 

“Oh my -” 

The Doctor fumbled for a tin bucket just in time for Rose to empty her insides in it. She thought her intestines might go with it all before she was through. The Doctor held her hair when it fell from its bun and rubbed her back, urging her to breathe even though it hurt. He gently hushed her when she made fists of her hands and strangled the air. She didn’t need to ask him why they’d been doing _that_ in an alleyway at a festival. That much was easy to work out.

“I didn’t know that was a thing.”

The Doctor affected his defensive smile and rattled off a typical reply.

“How do you think the universe wound up with so many varieties of human? You lot will breed with just about anything, I think you’ll find. By the time humans progress to where we are your lungs adapt to all manner of microbes like sperm pollen.” 

“Wait. Did you say…” cough “humans?” All warmth drained from Rose’s face and a cold tremor of dread shot down her spine. She searched his eyes but they went blank and looked away. “No no no…”

“Come here.”

Rose cried into the Doctor’s green downy jumper as he re-wrapped her in his jacket, taking the sting without complaint when she called him a liar in between heaves and coughs. She told him it was impossible, and he listened as he carefully massaged her scalp, combing neat rows in her tangled hair. Each word she spoke stoked the fire in her lungs, sending more coughs up her throat. So eventually Rose quieted down to sobs against his jumper.

“I’m not crying…” Rose trailed off. “Made my eyes sting.” 

“You do what you need to, Rose. It’s just you and me in this palatial cupboard here.”

The cramped, musty-smelling cupboard was anything but pleasant. But the Doctor’s little coping jokes were always a welcome distraction.  

“What’re the odds that I’m…” the last word got stuck in her throat and Rose swallowed hard before tossing it out. “Pregnant.”

The word alone produced a second cascade of tears. The Doctor brought Rose’s head in closer, nestling it safely between each of his hearts as he shifted his legs to bring her into his lap, legs draped across his. Rose enveloped herself in his jacket and his earthy scent, soaking in whatever comforts he’d offer as she completely gave way to a hyperventilating state of disarray.

“I don’t want this!” she cried. “It’s not fair!”

“Soon as we get back to the TARDIS we’ll sort this out together in the infirmary,” the Doctor assured her. 

“How long have we got?” she asked between whooping coughs. 

“Don’t you worry about that, Rose. You just let me do all the fretting. As long as you can run when I give the signal. Got it?”

He dropped a kiss to her clammy forehead and returned to his task of combing her hair with his fingers. Panic set in and time crept by. The Doctor fixed her hair into french braids while distracting her with what had happened while they were knocked out. In a state of panic the thugs kidnapped the Doctor and Rose and were holding them hostage. Rose wasn’t the least bit concerned with this revelation. That never worked out for the villains, she thought.

And in the end it didn’t, of course.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

After Rose had a long, hot shower, scalding and rubbing her skin pink and raw, she made her way to the infirmary in her jim jams and dressing gown, armoring herself against any bad news that might await her. The Doctor buzzed around the white coral room but calmly told Rose to hop onto the infirmary bed as he always had after a mishap.

“Spray this in your nose three times each side,” the Doctor told Rose as he plopped a green vial with a nozzle at the top in her palm. “It’s really cold but it works quickly.” 

She did as she was cold, flinching as the cold smacked the back of her sinuses. It was welcome after the burn.

“Now drink this. Tastes like a dalek’s backside -”

“But it works?”

“There are microbes in it that -”

Rose shuddered and stared at the ominous brown liquid in her hand. “Don’t. Don’t tell me how it works, please. As long it does the job.”

He rocked on his feet and held his hands behind his back. “It’ll do that I can promise you. Best hold your nose and chug it. Right nasty smelling stuff.”

It was absolutely putrid and made Rose’s stomach churn viciously. The Doctor skated to her and rubbed her back when she heaved. She clawed the bed and covered her mouth after accidentally dropping the bottle.

“Easy, Rose,” he hummed in her ear. 

“When will we know?” 

“In a few hours. We need to give those little microbes a chance to work their magic. The TARDIS will scan you and let us know.” 

Rose’s lip trembled. “I don’t want to wait a few hours. Can we go somewhere? I need a distraction or I’ll lose my mind. I hate this.”

“Of course. Some place relaxing, shall we?”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

 

The Doctor parked the TARDIS next to a tiny pavilion on the very top of Mount Huashan in China. Only the tips of mountains peeked above an endless fluffy blanket of clouds painted warm shades of yellow, orange, and red by the rising sun. Though Rose was cozy in her jim jams cradled in his arms with her knees tucked in, he draped his jacket over her to protect her from the chilly mountain air. An elderly Chinese couple joined them to play a game of chess at the table behind them not long after they landed. They enjoyed the sunrise together in companionable silence, making no mention of the strange blue box behind the tiny pavilion. The Doctor had Rose relaxing to the harmony of little clacking chess pieces and a calm breeze whispering through the trees.

A much needed peace washed over Rose as the Doctor whispered the tales of China’s sacred mountains and the million [lovers locks](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chinaodysseytours.com%2Fspecial-topic-about-china%2Fhuangshan-lover-locks.html&t=MTNmMWJlYTIyOWRjZTQ2YmJjOGZmMmYyMDhmNzViYmE5MTNmNjczMiwwVkY5Q1pJbA%3D%3D) dotting their trails. Promises of eternal love were made with throwing away the locks’ keys. For a few moments Rose’s mind was clear enough to wonder what her lock and key might be. She hadn’t forgotten about the dark cloud that was her current state looming over her. But she felt safe, even while perched atop the highest mountain she’d ever seen. Only the Doctor’s embrace could reach her, his unspoken but always demonstrated oath to protect her. He never doubted her ability to stand on her two feet, but was always there to catch her when she fell. Even while sitting mere feet from the edge of a 7,000 foot mountain, in the Doctor’s care was never a place Rose worried about falling.

They could have stayed aboard the TARDIS and waited it out in front of the telly. The Doctor could’ve given Rose a sleeping draft or taken her shopping. Without a word he understood the need to completely remove herself from the busy streets, the running, the burning, and the fear engulfing her. She had a much more profound appreciation for crisp, clean air and the simple serenity of the world before her at dawn.

“Scan says you’re right as rain,” the Doctor murmured in Rose’s ear, looking at a handheld in front of them before pocketing it in his trousers. They still had a third of the sunrise left. He rubbed the gooseflesh off her arms. “See? Told you we’d get it all sorted, didn’t I?” 

Rose rested her head on the Doctor’s arm and shed a couple tears of relief there, along with a chaste kiss of thanks. A few minutes later she asked, “Can we stay a while longer?”

“If we climb all five sacred mountains legend has it we’ll live forever.” 

“I love the sound of that.”


End file.
